The Veteran's pulmonary disability, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), is found to be at least as likely as not due to his service in the Gulf War. Service connection for this condition is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided competent lay statements and testimony regarding his exposure to burn pits and smoke during his active-duty service, which he believes caused his pulmonary disability. The VA examiner's opinion was limited but supported by two private medical opinions that considered the Veteran's Gulf War exposure and found it likely related to his condition.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), debilitating blood clots
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2022
- Citation
- 22014730
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 22014730.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for pulmonary embolism as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected status post spigelian herniorrhaphy, finding that the surgery increased her risk of developing a pulmonary embolism.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), including blood clots in bilateral calves, and blood clots in the lungs as there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's pulmonary disability is directly related to his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
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